The Human Element

by David Croomes

In the sports world lately, there has been a lot of talk of the "human element" in officiating. In the age of technology where instant replays truly are instant, it would seem to make sense that we could start having computers and video monitors let us know if a player was in bounds or if the pitch was a ball or strike, every time without error. This argument exploded last year in the wake of umpire Jim Joyce's blown call on the last out of (what would have been) a perfect game in Major League Baseball.

In spite of such mistakes, some of which turn out to be extremely significant, there is a push within the sports community to keep a sense of non-automated humanity involved when it comes to officiating. Why is this? Perhaps it makes it more entertaining, but I think it has more to do with making everything more relatable. Human interaction is the driving force of our lives and community, and it is clear that people value such interaction.

In advertising and marketing, one of the main goals is get other humans to interact with what you are promoting or selling, ideally by making a purchase. A promotion that makes the product/service relatable and relevant to the human is bound to spark that sort of interaction. Showing how someone's life could be bettered or made more enjoyable by using a product has much more impact than simply showing your best price and leaving it at that. The need for a human element exists outside of the sporting arena, and can be applied to any situation to make it more relevant, relatable, and emotionally intriguing.

When you bring the human element into your promotion, you have the ability to reach consumers' hearts as well as their brains. Sure, a good deal can always sell, but think about how many times people spend more than they actually intended to because they made an emotional, human connection. Wouldn't it be nice if they were handing that extra money to you?